Washington (CNN) - Fallout from the so-called “nuclear option” Senate Democrats triggered last month - when they dramatically weakened the ability of minority Republicans to filibuster presidential nominees - continued to reverberate through the Capitol on Wednesday as GOP Senators threatened to keep the chamber working into the Christmas recess if Democrats insisted on approving a large slate of presidential nominees.

It remained unclear if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid would press ahead to clear the nominees or pull back from the brink and let senators return home for the holidays.

Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama is planning to nominate Sen. Max Baucus as U.S. ambassador to China, a Democratic official told CNN.

The Montana Democrat is retiring from Congress.

A longtime Baucus friend and confidante speaking on condition of anonymity told CNN's John King the Senator informed him directly that the China appointment was true. A spokesman for Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican and a close friend of Baucus, confirmed to CNN's Paul Steinhauser that Hatch told the Washington Post that Baucus is the ambassadorial pick.

(CNN) - Republican Sen. Rand Paul said the nation’s top intelligence official should resign for “lying” to a Senate committee about mass data collection by the National Security Agency.

"I do think what your government is doing is unconstitutional, and I really think that in order to restore confidence in our intelligence community, I think James Clapper should resign," Paul said Wednesday on CNN's "The Situation Room."FULL POST

CNN's GUT CHECK | for December 18, 2013 | 5 p.m.
– n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

BREAKING: NSA PROGRAM SHOULD STAY IN PLACE…An independent assessment of National Security Agency surveillance ordered by President Barack Obama recommends the controversial collection of so-called metadata of Americans' electronic communications remain in place. But the collection program predominantly covering phone records and e-mail must have tighter constraints and greater transparency, according to the report released on Wednesday. – Jim Sciutto and Evan Perez

SENATE APPROVES BIPARTISAN BUDGET PLAN…The Senate approved the measure late Wednesday afternoon, 64 to 36, sending it to the White House for President Barack Obama’s signature. The bill sets spending levels for two years and removes the threat of a federal government shutdown.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) – One day after President Barack Obama said he wishes Washington worked a little more like it does in the Netflix series "House of Cards," the star of said program is offering his help.

Kicking off a meeting with top tech executives at the White House on Tuesday, Obama asked if Netflix's CEO Reed Hastings brought advanced copies of the hit web series, which enters its second season in February and focuses on Kevin Spacey's power-hungry character, Rep. Frank Underwood, as he skillfully maneuvers politics inside the Beltway.

Washington (CNN) – For the first time in what seems like ages, Congress has passed a government spending plan without resorting to last-minute brinkmanship such as midnight negotiations to prevent an imminent government shutdown.

The Senate voted 64-36 on Wednesday to send the compromise federal budget framework to President Barack Obama, who has signaled his support.

President Barack Obama's Twitter account tweeted earlier this week a picture of a man wearing plaid pajamas, encouraging people #GetTalking about insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act over the holidays.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) -- When Republican Rep. Paul Ryan and Democratic Sen. Patty Murray held a news conference - together - to announce that they reached a deal on the federal budget, the ideological opposites received immediate praise for their cooperation.

And they reached their agreement that would avert a potential government shutdown in January just two days before the Congressionally imposed deadline for doing so.

(CNN) - President Barack Obama may be commander-in-chief but even he gets put in his place at home.

"I've got three opinionated, strong, tall women," Obama said in an interview with People Magazine of his wife and daughters Sasha and Malia. "If they get together, they can have fun about my ears or being too loud, or how I dress."FULL POST